Former Texas A&M DE commit Anthony James II makes the call for Washington

Kalen DeBoer's best week of recruiting at Washington during the 2023 cycle rolls on. On the heels of two commitments earlier in the week, the Huskies added one of their most high-profile recruits Friday when one-time Texas A&M defensive end commit Anthony James II announced his decision while beginning an official visit at UW.

The Huskies have been targeting the 6-foot-5 prospect from East High School in Wylie, Texas throughout the offseason, and eventually he backed off his prior commitment in May.

James then took official visits to Utah and Auburn before making his way to Seattle for a weekend official visit with the Huskies. He made his commitment to the program at the beginning of his trip to Seattle.

The high three-star prospect is the seventh commitment in the class for DeBoer and his staff, and James is now the third pledge for the Huskies this weekend joining in-state defensive end Jacob Lane and Texas defensive back Diesel Gordon.

The latest addition means the Huskies have flipped the class from being offensive heavy to featuring four defensive prospects.

UW now ranks 58th in the overall Rivals team recruiting rankings for 2023, which is good enough for seventh in the Pac-12.

James had been committed to Texas A&M for more than a year after he gave that program his pledge in February 2021. Schools never stopped pursuing him, and Washington emerged as one of the top contenders as the process continued to play out.

Ultimately, he is now the second highest-rated commitment for the Huskies behind four-star California receiver Rashid Williams.